20th Anniversary of Space Shuttle Mission STS-32 with Retired Astronaut Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar

SEATTLE, Jan. 8, 2010--The Museum of Flight President and CEO Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar was a NASA Mission Specialist Astronaut onboard the January 1990 Space Shuttle mission, STS-32--the longest Shuttle flight to that date. During the Jan. 31 program, Dr. Dunbar will share her unique perspective and experiences about this significant mission which contributed to our understanding of micrometeoroids and orbital debris in low earth orbit, how that knowledge has helped us to build better satellites and space stations, and how the medical experiments conducted by the crew helped shuttle astronauts to fly longer flights. The presentation will include photos and videos taken during the mission followed by a question and answer session.

The program is at 2 p.m. in the William M. Allen Theater, and is free with admission to the Museum. The presentation is part of a weekend of activities at the Museum honoring National Astronaut Remembrance Day--Jan. 28--which recognizes the astronauts who gave their lives in the line of duty.

During the 11-day STS-32 mission a NAVY communications satellite, Syncom, was launched from the Shuttle, and a science satellite--the nearly 30 foot long, 14 feet in diameter, Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF)--was retrieved using the Shuttle's Canadian-developed remote manipulator system (RMS) operated by Dr. Dunbar. The five-person crew conducted a variety of medical experiments organized under a new program called The Extended Duration Orbiter, or EDO. The program was organized to help extend the Space Shuttle missions by understanding the effects of weightlessness on the human body. STS-32 was Dr. Dunbar's second of five orbital missions. Dr. Dunbar is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and is a member of both the U.S. National Academy of Engineers (NAE) and the Royal Academy of Edinburgh, Scotland.